When we tell people that we are an outdoor adventure company and we run an outdoor retreat center we tend to get the same question over and over again: "Are you booked year round?" or "what do you do when there's bad weather?"
If you've every asked us this then you know that many times our immediate response is a slight chuckle. This isn't because we are laughing at your question but rather because it never ceases to amaze us how little most people including clients know about what we do. So here's a small look in to our 'bad weather' days.
First off you may not realize that we are typically booked through Thanksgiving and starting back in mid-January. This means that even in the cold, rain, snow and ice we are still working to provide just as nice of a facility and experience as when it is 90 degrees and sunny.
When groups aren't staying on camp, most rainy days consist of finding indoor maintenance projects that need done such as rewiring electricity, caulking for insulation, replacing light bulbs and fixtures and even plumbing work. Winter time is our main maintenance season and so we take full advantage of the few good days outside to cut trees and split wood.
Other times we find ourselves stuck in our office trying to use our time wisely. For some of us (i.e. - me) this includes working on marketing materials and brainstorming new opportunities to spread our message. For others this looks like organizing our paperwork that piles up over the summer or diving deeper in to our food supplier and ways to cut costs while increasing quality. In the meantime we also try to bond as a staff and discern what the next 'big thing' for our business or camp should be.
So there it is....a look in to our rainy days. While sometimes we wish we could just nap next to a warm fire, most days we are excited to work in close quarters with each other and better our organization in a different way than what an 'outdoor adventure' company usually would look like.
